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Turkish president criticizes lengthy detentions

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

ANKARA â€“ Turkish President AbdullahÂ Gul said Tuesday the new regulation reducing detention periods is timely and appropriateÂ because lengthy trial periods already became a form of punishment.

Gul has recently approved regulations reducing the maximum period ofÂ detentionÂ from ten years to five.Â In a press conference on Tuesday, Gul said that such long detention periods are one of the most serious problems in Turkey.

â€œThe Turkish public only discusses political cases. But there are other types of casesÂ with no political dimension. We never heard about their complaints orÂ sufferings but they actually exist,â€ Gul said.

An IstanbulÂ High Criminal Court ordered the release of tens of detainees on Monday includingÂ Dursun Cicek,Â a retired Turkish army colonel, journalist Yalcin Kucuk and retired generals Sener Eruygur andÂ Hasan Igsiz and aÂ mafiaÂ leader Sedat Peker, based on a new law that went into effect last week ruling that anyone who has been in prison for five years without a final verdict on their case is to be released.

â€œLengthyÂ detentions turned into a form of punishment, and we need to eliminate them,â€ Gul said.